Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-04-09
People Whs Write t. Cfngressmen--ReD
rssent,tivs Barnes, of Georgia, Anus
ing Himself by Maklnga
collection Of Ourious Communications
TIE Things Which Men and Women
Want to Know.

pNNs Ah
t~ication of the idea. .laugh and grow
fat" He has just closed his first term,
during which he developed a mild ma
MIA for collecting the queer letters of
which every member receives more or
less. Mr.. Barnes got some OF those
letters in manuscript, others he heard
read and stored in memory their on
tents. His plan is to compile the best
of them in u book with Illustrations by
Mat O'Brysn, the Georgia artist.
The congressman Is rich, and the
question of gain doesn't enter into his
plans. He believes he can produce
something which viii make people
laugh, and, that accomplished, one of
the chief aims of his life will be at
La Ia pursuance Of his scheme
Mr.. Barnes expects To send to all the
members of the Hitleth congress q cir
cular inviting them TO turn over the
curiOsities in their correspondence to
him, promising TO withhold names
whenever ii is desired.
Talking about this plan, Mr.. Barnes
said: The other day | received q let
ter from a man in NV district who is
worth $40, 600, a tirst-class business
man who runs a large stort, thanking
ME for a package of garden seeds
which sent him. After expressing
his gratitude he went on: The seeds
were duly planted, came up all right
with prospects Of Yielding the finest
crop ever saw; but 10! my misfortune
came. My wife let the chickens get
into the garden; they scratched up
everything, and now want you to
send me some more of the same kind
That man." said Mr.. Barnes, olives
three doors from q drug store where
the best varieties Of garden seeds are
sold, but rather than spend l5 cents for
them he stops his business to write me
for that amount OF seed, pays two
cents on his letter, besides the cost of
paper, ink and envelope"
Clements, of my state, told me of a
letter from one of his constituents"
Dir. Barnes continued. .'saying he had
\ breastpin on which George Washing
ton carved his pame with his own
hands. He thought rs Clements was
in Congress, a~ssociating with million
aires, he might sell it for him and get
a-few thousand dollars for it,"
but Gambler beats that said the
Georgian. Zone of his lady constitu-
ents recently wrote to ask him TO call
On the president and cabinet, the SUI
preme our and fine senators and rep
resentatives, and ask each one of them
to send her All old cravat to be worked
into a crazy quilt. She added: ~. S.
Don't fail 10 ask Alr. Cleveland to
send Il piece of his wedding tie and "a
few pieces of Mrs. Cleveland'. we'd
ding dress and a piece OF the bridal
veil; also, 3 piece Of the dress his
nother-in-law wore at the wedding"
Dir. Barnes also tells the following:
A Catholic priest sent q letter to
Speaker Carlisle, asking him If he
would act as agent TO dispose of tickets
for "A rattle At u fair. He thought the
speakers influence would induce many
to contribute to a good cause.
Mr.. Hatch, Of Missouri, while he was
pushing the pleuro-pneumonia bill. got
4 letter from a lady who said she had
rcad with great interest his work, but
she could tell him that he was going 10
vote away millions of the peoples
money for nething. She had a simple
remedy, which would cure mur1ain,
Texas fever, pleuro-pneumonia, hog
cholera and pips in chickens. If he
would obtair the patent and secure
congressional Endorsement she would
60 Ives with him, and they would
ma two fortunes.
John NJ. Allen, the hunorist of the
house, received a request all the way
from Mississippi to 90 TO the National
Museum and get a description of the
cane Andrew Jackson used to carry.
He was asked to have a photograph
taken, and to send the length. size,
color and kind OF wood. The writer
said he wanted to make Il duplicate.
An old lady somewhere in the Viz
Sinia mountains wrote to Mr.. Cabell
that she had been told that he was q
descendant Of P~ocahontas, and that the
traces Of aboriginal descent could be
seen in his features. She wanted to
know all about his family history. as
she thought she could trace u kinship.
A Brooklyn nan informed Felix
Campbell that he had invented a flying
machine and wanted him to get an appro
priation through congress to perfect it,
and also to have the p~ostofiice depart
ms1t adopt it for the rapid and safe
tLlt of the mails over the country.
without danger from mail robbers.
railroad collisions and fire.
From a mountain district IN Pennsyl-
vania a constituent penned his CON
gresham the following:
DEAR SIR:-I am u SNAKE hunter; make my
living 10y bunting rattiesnakes aud selling
their skins and uil. have discovered a rem
edy which is proof agin snak- bites and other
pisln insects. | have berc bit many times and
have cured myself every crack. besides many
of the reighbors. Now II Won viii get me II
patent for my medicine, ] amt got much
cash, but | W i pay you IN snake skins and
oil. which will pat t" vuu ut ihel"wess mar.
ket price. vi LAM 4AChsnS'
Allegheny snake hunter.